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Bill Faith - "Aim High" My Friend
*** Update Sunday January 18, 2009 *** I should have added this link to Michelle Malkin's article. Also to Uncle Jimbo's post at BlackFive. Here are a whole bunch more:
Also, Bill's sister has requested donations be made to Soldier's Angels in lieu of flowers. Finally, I am unable to approve any comments left for Bill at other posts. Some of you already have posted elsewhere. If you wish to leave a comment for Bill please do so at this article, for which I am able to approve comments for. Thank You. ********************************************** It is with a saddened heart that I just heard from another Old War Dog, Zero Ponsdorf, that Michelle Malkin reported the death of Old War Dog founder and webmaster Bill Faith. I missed a couple of opportunities this year as I traveled through Southern Illinois, to stop and meet Bill in person. This is a mistake I will regret for the rest of my life. Through an electronic introduction from another Old War Dog, Jim Bartimus, I was introduced to Bill in July of 2005. It was then that Bill extended the invitation to join the Old War Dogs Blog, and it was the first type of anything in my adult lifetime I had ever joined. Bill could be cantankerous at times, often causing a bit of dissent among the ranks. But, I know that Bill’s life centered around two things: Old War Dogs and his Grandson. His Blogging and love of America, I can speak to. His abundant love for his daughter and grandson I will leave for others. Many years later, Bill and I discovered that I had preceded him into the Air Force by a mere week back in the summer of 1970, and that most of our time at Lackland AFB and afterward at Sheppard AFB, had overlapped. That’s where the similarity ended. Bill went on to serve in Vietnam, while I defended America from the frozen moonscapes of Alaska. I think it was our same age, military branch, and the fact that we were both Illinoisans, that caused Bill to always favor my writing and give it a little boost in the Blog position each day. In fact I was often embarrassed by the favoritism. Others, such as Russ Vaughn, JD Pendry, George “Rurik” Mellinger, William “1st Cav” Page and Zero Ponsdorf knew Bill longer and perhaps better than I, although most of us have been strangers to Old War Dogs for a couple of years now. A couple of years ago, Bill had entrusted the “keys” to the Old War Dogs Site with me and Russ Vaughn. I haven’t been in contact with Russ for some time, and I’m not sure how to proceed. Old War Dogs and Small Town Veteran were 100% Bill Faith. There is a part of me that says we should keep OWD going as a tribute to Bill, yet another that says it would only be a cheap imitation. As mentioned before, Russ and JD and perhaps a few others will have more to say on the topic. In closing, I simply want to say that Bill was a patriot, a loving father and grandfather, and a clear voice for veteran’s causes throughout the blogosphere. And for me personally, he was a friend and fellow Old War Dog. I will miss him. Mike Connelly |
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Contributed by The Gray Dog on January 17, 2009 at 07:12 PM in Best of Old War Dogs, Bill Faith, Current Affairs, Patriotism, The Gray Dog, US Air Force | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBack |
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B-2 Crashes at Andersen AFB (Guam)
Gary "Boomer" Adams, who settled in Guam after 30 years in the Air Force, emails:
*** See also: B-2 Bomber Crashes on Guam; Pilots Safe |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on February 22, 2008 at 11:18 PM in US Air Force | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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The fat lady never sings for Misty 1.
I finally managed to finish reading American Patriot, Robert Coram's excellent bio of Col. Bud Day. It's not that I didn't find it interesting and very readable -- I read it in three sittings -- just that some days my back gives me more trouble than others. I can't begin to compete with Rurik's fine review of this excellent book but maybe I can at least throw out a few more reasons why you need a copy of it. You need a copy because without it you'll never know ...
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Contributed by Bill Faith on June 18, 2007 at 12:15 AM in The American Warrior, US Air Force | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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RIP: General Robin Olds
Gary "Boomer" Adams emails: Another of our American legends passes on. I'd like to think I shared some of the airspace in SEA with him when he was Commander of the 'Wolfpack'. Maybe even had him on the end of the boom and didn't know it. Below the fold:
See also:
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Contributed by Bill Faith on June 16, 2007 at 02:18 PM in The American Warrior, US Air Force | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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Colonel Bud Day, American Patriot
Many thanks to Rurik for permission to copy his Veteran-American Voices review of an excellent book we were both privileged to receive review copies of. I may or may not manage to put together a review of my own later, knowing that anything I do will suffer greatly by comparison to Rurik's piece. In the short term, I'm nowhere close to done with my copy, due in no small part to the fact my sister and nephew both recognized it as something they'd enjoy. I have read enough of it to know I heartily agree with Rurik's recommendation to buy a copy at the first opportunity. (I've provided a convenient link for that purpose here.) For now then, Rurik's review:
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Contributed by Bill Faith on May 18, 2007 at 12:56 AM in Books, George Mellinger, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Marine Corps, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack |
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Two Birthdays
[Written by Arch Arthur, Maj., USAF (Ret) at the webmaster's request.]
Arch Arthur is a member of a small group of people who have two birthdays each year - one natural and the other miraculous. His natural birthday was February 4th, 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama. That life should have ended over North Vietnam at 0645, April 28th, 1972 when a Soviet SA-2 tore through the belly of his F4E. Here is what happened 35 years ago today. In 1971-72, Captain Arthur was a weapon systems officer (WSO) in the 366 Tactical Fighter Wing assigned to a special unit called, “Stormy” whose job it was to locate targets and lead strike flights in heavily defended areas. Mission profile: single ship, fly to the assigned area, perform 20 minutes of armed visual reconnaissance, rendezvous with strikers, mark a target, control the strike, assess bomb damage, hit the tanker and do it over two or three times per sortie. In April of 1972, the situation in South Vietnam was grave. North Vietnamese launched an offensive to coincide with the monsoon season. They attacked Quang Tri Province from Laos and across the DMZ. Other units followed up with attacks on Kontoum and Pleiku. Unlike Tet, these attacks used massed armor and long-range artillery. Weather precluded close air support. Outnumbered and outgunned, the South Vietnamese fought courageously but fell back. Each time they tried to mount a defense, NVA gunners smashed them. On the 28th, Captain Arthur was scheduled for the dawn patrol in the back seat of Stormy 01. We’ll call the pilot, “John” (not his real name). The US Commander of I Corps called John and told him, “You have got to find and kill those 130 MM guns.” Everyone knew that Hue was under siege and DaNang would be next. Weather forecast: 1000’ overcast, 3 miles with light rain. Arch called and had special low altitude munitions loaded on their assigned strike flights. As they suited up, John pointed to Arch’s “Stormy” patch and said, “I wouldn’t wear that today.” The clear implication was that this may be a one-way mission. Without speaking, they walked down the bravo ramp in a light rain to F4E 68 0308. At 0600, Stormy 01 lifted off Runway 36R into the clouds. Things began to unravel early. Descending over Quang Tri City, they broke out at 15,000’. They were a relieved to be able to work in visual conditions but, their strike flights had the wrong munitions. What they saw below them was horrific. QL-1, the coastal highway, resembled a stream of ants. The road was jammed with people, vehicles, livestock, carts and bicycles. Occasionally, they could see explosions. Fires burned everywhere. Stormy 01 flew out Route 9 toward the Laotian border, looking for artillery and armor. They flew an erratic path at 450 knots, 4 Gs and remained above 4,000’ to avoid small arms and light anti-aircraft fire. The roads were wet deeply rutted, but they could find neither 130 MM guns nor tanks. Working toward the DMZ, there was no trace of the enemy until they surveyed the DMZ road south of the old USMC firebase at Con Thien. Parked within its perimeter were five tracked vehicles with twin 57 MM guns firing at them. They recognized the ZSU-57-2 by its muzzle flash – a 25’ long tongue of flame which looks more lethal than it is. With a low cyclic rate of fire, lack of radar and visible projectiles, 57 MM was easy to avoid. Arch marked the location on the inertial. John and Arch asked themselves same question, “What‘s up there that they don’t want us to see?” Stormy 01 proceeded to the east and circled back for a second pass was at 50’ and 500 knots, several hundred yards south of the guns. In the center of the battery was a dozer trench containing a van. The third pass, right over the trench revealed a Surface to Air Missile (SAM) radar van. The NVA were trying to set up a SAM site in the DMZ. This new site extended coverage miles into South Vietnam. The ZSU-57-2s continued to fire. John called the strike flight with rendezvous instructions and Arch prepared a target brief. They discussed the threat the guns might pose to strike aircraft, deciding to drop two cluster bombs (CBU-52s) on the guns. One problem in Stormy was task saturation. Both crewmembers were very busy that checklists were sometimes overlooked. One first CBU pass, John rolled into a 45° dive and tracked the target to 5,000’. When he released he said, “Shit!” He had forgotten to arm the weapon and the clamshell never opened, detonating low order beyond the target. It was Arch’s responsibility to read the checklist. Pass number 5 was the last opportunity to suppress the defenses. John was slightly shallow and had to press to 4500’. Before the radar fuse armed, it was below fuse function altitude the last CBU did not open either, hitting the same hole. A pity, either pass would have killed the AAA. Fuel state was becoming a problem. John called the strike flight and asked how far they were from the target. They Strike lead expressed confusion and John told them bluntly to get to the DMZ without delay or Stormy would be out of gas. At that point, Stormy 01 had their first tracking indications from an SA-2 site in North Vietnam. The fast FAC set up to mark from the south, pulling off to the east – toward the water. As they rolled in SA-2 site at Bat Lake lit them up. John marked the target and came off low. In response to classic indications of an SA-2 launch, Arch employed appropriate electronic countermeasures. At about 1500’ they descended below a temperature inversion that trapped smoke below it and severely restricted horizontal visibility. Passing a certain altitude, SA-2 indications disappeared as they expected. The strike flight was not yet in position to attack or even see Stormy 01’s mark. On the 7th pass, John told the strike flight that this would be his, “Last pass,” since he was, “no shit bingo!” Stormy received the same SA-2 indications as they had on their 6th pass, John performed the same evasive maneuver and Arch employed the same countermeasures. Again the radar warning ceased at the expected altitude, but this time the NVA launched three SA-2s missiles passing well above and behind the FAC. Although the missile site was at their 4 o’clock, both Stormy crewmen were looking at 8 o’clock to see if their the strikers were the targets. It was a clever ruse and it worked. Those missiles were not being guided at all. Arch knew something was wrong with the warning indications. There was a light on that should not have been. As he looked at the panel there was a sudden impact that lifted the aircraft’s tail. In his center mirror, he watched the rotating beacon disappear in the fireball. Looking north, he saw a second SA-2 a few hundred meters away pulling lead. The missile entered pitch oscillation and passed in front of and below the aircraft and detonated. The NVA weren’t using radar; it had to have been a visual shot. Startled by the second missile, John asked, “What was that?” “An SA-2,” Arch answered and noting some 12.7 MM rounds passing his canopy added, “take it down, we’re getting hosed!” “We’re at 50 feet,” replied the pilot, “and I’ve got a fire light on the left engine.” “Fuck it!” Arch replied, “We’re in North Vietnam!” Stormy 01 crossed the beach at 50’ doing 600 knots with both engines in full afterburner. As they turned south toward DaNang, they began to deal with their emergency. John tried to retard the left throttle but it would not move. Fire in the left engine bay had moved forward to the fuel control about 5’ behind Arch’s ejection seat, wielding the flex cable. John switched off the Left Master Switch closing the left engine fuel valve. Before the switch closed, the right engine fire light illuminated, followed by a “Check Hydraulic Gauges” light. PC1 and PC2 dropped to zero, leaving Stormy 01 traveling at 600 knots (150 knots above survivable ejection airspeed) with both engines stuck in full A/B and no flight controls. When power control systems fail, the leading edge of the stabilator drives down causing the nose to pitch up. John and Arch became cargo. This instant is when life one was ended. One of two scenarios would occur:
The F4 is a large, rugged piece of military machinery designed by some very smart engineers. It held together. At 600 knots, it climbs rapidly, slowing the aircraft and carrying the crew away from the planet. While John was handling a rapid series of aircraft problems, Arch was in the rear cockpit working through his own emergencies. When the utility hydraulics failed, the radar antenna drive died. Arch, the consummate air-to-air radar operator, switched his radar off to avoid damage. Training is a wonderful thing. Passing the vertical at 450 knots, John realized that ejection was survivable and they would never be farther from the enemy. “Eject!” he told his WSO. “What?” replied the back seater. “Eject, eject, eject!” John repeated. Arch heard the first of the three confirmations, assumed the position, closed his eyes and pulled the lower handle. The rear canopy came off as the rear seat shoulder harness locked then the rocket motor fired. G onset in a rocket seat is smooth compared to the ballistic seats used in training. 1.4 seconds later, his main parachute opened. Arch recommends rolling up one’s collar to avoid rope burn from risers. John saw the rear seat fire and reached for his lower D ring. When he pulled it, he expected his seat to fire instantly, but nothing happened. A 1.6 second delay on the front seat applies even if the rear seat is gone. John moved his head to look down. At that instant, his seat fired compressing his vertebrae and causing considerable pain. Unlike his WSO, John had completed airborne training. In his judgment, opening shock at 450 knots was severe. Arch looked up and counted his 28 risers, released the 4 rear risers to enable steering then looked down. His toes were over the South China Sea, but heels were over the beach, a beach owned by the North Vietnamese. When he looked at John several hundred feet above, he saw that his raft and survival kit were deployed. He deployed his kit and inflated his life preservers. Their aircraft had continued to climb until it ran out of airspeed and started down, passing fairly close to its former crew. About 60’ of flames streamed from its belly, aux air doors and rear fuselage. It hit the water at 90° in the mouth of a river. Everything was quiet. Below them a pair of search and rescue aircraft - A1Es callsign, “Sandy 21” had seen the F4E impact and began a climbing circle around the crash site. Arch prepared for his water landing, rechecking his gear and thinking through all the procedures he’d been taught and practiced. He worked clear of his canopy and slid onto his raft. As he cut himself loose from the risers, he heard the first shell explode. John and Arch were about 1000 meters off the beach. The NVA had them in sight and were trying to kill the two wounded survivors with mortars and artillery. When the Jolly arrived 30 minutes later, the mortar fire increased in accuracy and intensity. They put a PJ in the water to help John on the penetrator, then he swam over to help Arch. Being hoisted aboard the HH53, they could hear the distinctive crack of 12.7 MM heavy machine gun fire. The SAR forces ignored the ground fire and did their job. They also gave each survivor the traditional bottle of Champagne, which they drank immediately (at 0700 local). Back at DaNang, the flight surgeon came aboard to see if he could participate in the party that was building. To cut the “chill” of these wet aviators, he provided a bottle of cognac, which Arch and John split. Intelligence debrief was a bit more contentious. The intelligence officer insisted, “Stormy 01 was hit by an unguided rocket”. Arch knew better. “Unguided rockets” he noted, “do not pull lead.” These were SA-2 Guideline missiles that both men had seen many times before. Something was wrong. Arch discovered the Intel problem on his way to Bangkok later that week. At the O-Club at Tan Son Nut AB, he met a 7th AF Intel Captain who told him that they had discovered the visual tracker at the SA-2 site at Bat Lake about a week earlier. “Why didn’t you get the word out?” Arch asked him. “Captain, you didn’t have a need to know,” the Captain replied. Arch’s response was swift and non-verbal. Officers at a nearby table were able to take Arch’s crutches away from him before he killed the Intelligence puke. |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on April 28, 2007 at 02:26 PM in Arch Arthur, The American Warrior, US Air Force, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack |
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Some pictures to accompany "Two Birthdays"
I'm posting some pictures associated with the above post separately so those of you on dial-up have the option of reading the post without spending several seconds downloading the pics. (This post is predated to keep it below the other one. It's actually a little after 4:00 as I'm typing this.)
Arch sent this one separately in a mail titled "Real heroes pictured below":
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Contributed by Bill Faith on April 28, 2007 at 02:24 PM in Arch Arthur, The American Warrior, US Air Force, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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65 Years Ago Today
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Contributed by Bill Faith on April 18, 2007 at 02:24 PM in The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Navy, WW II | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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Military Order of the Purple Heart & Gathering of Eagles
The following article was written by Henry J. Cook III, Senior Vice Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. It was intended for use in their organizational publication. In light of certain parties claiming that they had convinced MOPH to drop their support, Mr. Cook asked that it be posted on the GOE blog as a reaffirmation of MOPH’s support for the Gathering of Eagles. Thank you William "1stCav" Page for bringing it to my attention.
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Contributed by Bill Faith on April 15, 2007 at 08:37 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Peacenik Stupidity, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 27, 2007 at 05:07 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Patriotism, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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Poem: A Gathering of Eagles
Marsha Burks Megehee left this as a comment on Awesome Gathering of Eagles video but it deserves better than to languish there unread:
*** Update: Marsha has sent me several more poems, of which I'll plan on posting one every few days at http://www.oldwardogs.us/marsha_burks_megehee/index.html, and I'm impressed enough that I've offered to create a separate blog for her if she says she'd have time to post to it. More on that later if she accepts my offer. *** Update 2: It turns out there's already a nice collection of Marsha's poetry at http://poetwarrior1.tripod.com/. I'll still plan on posting a lot of what she emailed me and also posting excerpts and links to that site as time goes on. *** Update 3: Marsha has seen the light about the advantages of having both a blog and a static web site. I haven't made any promises about when I'll have it ready but I'm going to set up a blog for her under my TypePad account. Address and details to be announced later. |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 26, 2007 at 03:57 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Marsha Burks Megehee, Patriotism, Peacenik Stupidity, Poetry, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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Awesome Gathering of Eagles video
Boomer emails:
Read the whole Old War Dogs Gathering of Eagles collection in one place here, and don't forget about the Gathering of Eagles blog here. |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 25, 2007 at 12:33 AM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Patriotism, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack |
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Despite my distrust of the media....
....there are a few that get it right.
The quote is from my good friend, Bill Faith. His expression reflects the feelings of many Vietnam vets. For most of their adult lives, they have quietly gone about their business, avoiding the limelight and staying far away from the turmoil of politics. Scarred by their experiences returning to a nation that rejected them and despised them, they wanted nothing more than to go home and be left alone. Read the rest at Media Lies. *** Bill Faith adds: Thanks, Anti. Del emailed me a copy of that column and I decided to take a short nap before I posted about it. I'm glad I did. You handled it much better than I would have. |
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Contributed by antimedia on March 22, 2007 at 10:33 PM in Antimedia, Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Patriotism, Peacenik Stupidity, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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Reflections on the Gathering of Eagles (Epilogue)
*** See also: Smash - The Infiltrator |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 22, 2007 at 01:06 AM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Peacenik Stupidity, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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01.01.04 AE
1st year, 1st month, 4th day, Age of the Eagle. The tide has turned. I'm proud to be an American again.
"Let us make it clear, we've all come here ***
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*** Don't miss Antimedia's great related posts here and here. ***
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 20, 2007 at 11:59 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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Contributed by Russ Vaughn on March 20, 2007 at 10:58 AM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Peacenik Stupidity, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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The Day We Took Our Country Back -- Part 2
This Is The Dawning Of The Age Of The Eagle. Aquarius can kiss my ass. (This post will remain at the top of the site all day. Original timestamp 2007.03.19.00:29) "Let us make it clear, we've all come here
Do read the whole thing, won't you? ***
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There are lots more where that came from. Click here. *** Email from R J Del Vecchio:
Provoking: Click the thumbnails, then click the image that comes up, to see them larger. *** In a separate mail Del writes:
*** I just posted Old War Dog Arch Arthur's After Action Report here. You'll enjoy it. *** Michael in MI has a great "Go read these GoE posts" roundup here. Don't miss it. The Big Dog's post here is also quite worth a visit. ***
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 19, 2007 at 11:59 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack |
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Arch Arthur: "Protesters, for, against war, face off"
Another letter to the editor about biased media coverage of the Gathering of Eagles, this one from our next-to-newest Old War Dog:
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 19, 2007 at 07:41 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Media Perfidy, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack |
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Max Friedman: Identifying the Anti-War Protesters
Email from R J Del Vecchio:
I emailed back and learned that Del got this straight from Max and has his permission to pass it along:
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 19, 2007 at 07:04 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est, Media Perfidy, R J Del Vecchio, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 19, 2007 at 03:47 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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The Day We Took Our Country Back
Forty years lost in the wilderness. Forty years in exile. Behind us now. Yesterday we took our country back. It's in the air. I can feel it. Can you? This post will remain at the top of the site for the remainder of the day. Please scroll down for possible newer content. Actual timestamp 2007.03.18.01:35. Please consider this post an extension of my Eagles Up! post. Click the eagle to see the entire Old War Dogs Gathering of Eagles series on one page.
"Let us make it clear, we've all come here
*** Don't miss the great video Antimedia posted here. ***
We did it once and we can do it again. And again. It's time to decide we're mad as hell and we ain't gonna take it any more. If we don't this country's headed straight to Hell. We have to care enough to save it. [Yes I realize I'm using "we" rather generously. I sat on my ass in front of a PC, waiting for my next Disability check, telling everyone else to "Be there!" Maybe the reader will grant a sick old vet credit for caring enough to do that. I'd have been there if I could have. I'd like to believe there was at least one person at the Gathering who wouldn't have been if not for my efforts. If there was it was worth every second I put into it.] *** Michelle's GoE blogburst post which I linked to last night, has been updated big time. (Thanks for the link, Michelle. Luv ya. Thanks for helping spread the word and for showing up yourself.) Check it out. ***
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*** Don't miss Smash's posts here and here. I'm sure he'll have more later. *** Aside from their stupid choice of vet pictures al-WaPo's GoE coverage here ain't half bad. Check it out. (H/T: Jules) *** I guess the weather was a little nicer in Tucson but the atmosphere was about the same. Don't miss this post at Speed of Thought. ***
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 18, 2007 at 11:59 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack |
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EAGLES UP!
This post will remain at the top of the site for the remainder of the day. Please scroll down for possible newer content. Actual timestamp 2007.03.17.00:02. I know of at least three people who'll be at The Wall with my phone number programmed into their cell phones and they know I'll be anxious to know how things are going, so here's hoping. Click the Eagle to see the entire Old War Dogs Gathering Of Eagles series. "Let us make it clear, we've all come here
EAGLES UP! *** 08:10 My feet hit the floor at the absolutely gawdawful (for me; I usually blog till all hours then sleep well into the day) hour of 07:45 CDT. The closest I can come so far to finding any GOE coverage of any sort, or any mention of the moonbat convergence that necessitated GOE, is this at Michelle's, written a couple of hours ago:
*** 09:37 Just got an email from J D Pendry. He says Fox & Friends did a segment on the moonbat convergence and The Gathering Of Eagles. Also says he got a call from one of his old troops who estimates there are about 5,000 vets gathered around the wall and says the moonbats are staying well clear of the area so far. *** 10:35 FOX, at least, is giving fairly balanced coverage. I watch very little TV but my sister just had me come and look at what FOX had on. If anything, the good guys may have gotten a little more screen time than the moonbats. Apparently things have been calm so far, with the moonbats scheduled to set out for the Pentagon in about an hour. *** 10:42 Just got a call from Bob K. (our newest Dog, btw; I just had the pleasure of welcoming him into the pack) who says things have been calm so far and that he thinks J D's 5,000 number is way out of date. *** 12:32 Just heard from The Gray Dog a few minutes ago. He says if anything the good guys have the moonbats outnumbered. Says the estimates he's heard were around 10,000 on each side. No major incidents of any sort. Getting close to time for the moonbats to move out for their little protest at the Pentagon, well away from our Wall. He says he got to thank Michelle Malkin for showing up but didn't see her headed his way in time to get his camera out of his pocket. I'll be looking forward to her coverage of the event. I was grabbing a short nap when The Gray Dog called and haven't checked the news sites or other blogs for a while but I'll do that now. ***
Surprisingly balanced coverage for an AP piece, although it you read the whole thing some slant does come through. *** 16:30 Don't know why FOX isn't giving this more coverage on their web site but they're doing a good job with it on air, including some good pics of the Gathering Of Eagles and Rolling Thunder crowd and the first on-air use I've heard of the words "Gathering Of Eagles." Sounds like the day ended with no violence beyond a couple of shoving matches. I shudder to think how things might have gone if the Eagles and RT hadn't been there in the numbers they were. Sounds like some anarchists got themselves arrested at the Pentagon but nothing major at all happened anywhere near The Wall. Color this Old Dog relieved and very, very grateful to the patriots who made the trip I wasn't up to, and especially to Bob K and The Gray Dog for taking time to call me in the midst of all that was going on. *** From CNN.com, would you believe (click the pic to read the article):
*** R J Del Vecchio called a few minutes ago to let me know things went well. He thinks the patriotic counter-protests may become a regular thing. I hope he's right. He promised me an After Action Report by email by sometime tomorrow. Watch for it. [Update: Click here.] Don't miss Antimedia's reports here and here. ***
*** Bob Krupienski, our newest pack member, left this as a comment but I'll move it here so it doesn't get overlooked:
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*** I just posted R J Del Vecchio's After Action Report as a separate post: Defending The Wall. *** Once-a-Marine-always-a-Marine Curt has some great pics and quotes here. Fine pup, that one. If he was older I'd try to recruit him as an Old War Dog. |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 17, 2007 at 11:59 PM in Bob Krupienski, Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Peacenik Stupidity, R J Del Vecchio, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack |
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R J Del Vecchio: Defending The Wall
Please consider this part of my Eagles Up! post. It's long enough that I'm going to post it separately then link from that post. Del emails:
*** 2007.03.19 addendum: Email from Del:
Provoking: Click the thumbnails, then click the image that comes up, to see them larger. |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 17, 2007 at 09:18 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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"You Ain't Gonna Touch This Wall" -- The MP3
You read it here, listen to it here, or to the slightly tamer "radio version" here. Buy a copy at The Gathering of Eagles Store. [Original timestamp 2007.03.16.01:41] |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 16, 2007 at 11:52 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Music, Russ Vaughn, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack |
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Time to raise some Hell!
I'm swiping a whole post off Michelle's site for a good cause. Maybe no one will get too upset.
See also: Doubleplusungood! |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 16, 2007 at 02:09 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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Will you be there for them?
Saw this at Wild Thing's place and decided it was too pretty not to pass on.
Be there, people. Be there! EAGLES UP! |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 16, 2007 at 02:43 AM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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Gathering Storm
EAGLES UP! Click here to see the entire Old War Dogs Gathering Of Eagles series in one place. ***
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 14, 2007 at 09:40 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est, Peacenik Stupidity, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 14, 2007 at 04:57 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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GATHERING OF EAGLES RALLY - PERMIT UPDATE
Read the entire Old War Dogs Gathering Of Eagles series here. On a closely related note:
BE THERE PEOPLE! |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 13, 2007 at 02:16 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Peacenik Stupidity, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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American Vietnam Vets Ending 40 Years in the Wilderness
R J Del Vecchio emails:
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 10, 2007 at 01:44 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Peacenik Stupidity, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
